Fun with Fondant..

I started making fondant cakes on the first month of 2012. I know I still have plenty of things to learn, but I thought I should man up and give it a try. I've searched for tips on how to cover a cake with fondant, watched videos on youtube and read all my books about cake decorating. After weeks of preparation, I said to myself 'I'm ready!' without even knowing what I'm getting myself into. :)

I've always known that the secret weapon in covering a cake with fondant is its flexibility. You must knead your fondant well, especially when it has been sitting unused for a while, until soft and supple. I must say when you're a rookie, fondant is a little tough to deal with.

The first fondant cake that I made was this Angry Birds Cake. It is for my friend Fleur's nephew Vince, who celebrated his birthday on the 2nd week of February. Only then that I realized, a cake looks better with everything edible. I'm going to have to work on my sculpting skills.

Next is this Rio Cake that I made for a very pretty little girl named Aila. I met his Dad, Shaba, once in a business meeting and he was thrilled when I mentioned I've just started making fondant birthday cakes. They provided the toppers, so I had no problems with the decoration at all.

This my friends, is my first wedding cake. I was a little scared to mix and match colors back then so I went for minimalist. I didn't want to complicate the design and I only wanted it neat. I guess for a first wedding cake, this is not so bad. :)

Then, comes this Clapper Cake that I made for my husband's friend Carlene. Her boyfriend is a TV Commercial Director; hence the theme, who decided to celebrate his birthday with the children of Cancer Warriors Foundation.

Behold, my first all edible cake. Of course I had to make the angry birds characters ahead of time, for them to harden. I had fun making this cake and dealing with Jane (the customer) was easy breezy, considering she was outside of the country that time. This is for her boys' graduation.

And then, the fun continues...

As of today, I have a few cakes lined up for the month of October until December, from tiered cakes to customised. I am happy to have friends supporting me with this business venture, especially my Mom who helps me out with the designs, assembling and a lot more. It's funny coz when I get tired sometimes, I would say 'I don't want to do this anymore'. It's like I'm having a love and hate situation with my oven. But at the end of the day, I know that this is what makes me happy. And then, the learning continues...

'Ice'-ing On The Cake..

I couldn't just let a significant day for my friends and family go by without whipping up a little something for them, anyone that is important to me. I once made a birthday cake for my grandmother a couple of years ago. It honestly looked really bad, but it tasted pretty good. If you guys remember, I made Pink and Purple cupcakes for my lovely niece Bianca on her 7th birthday last year. And how could I ever forget my friend Fleur's 25 and Fabulous birthday party. Just recently, I also made my husband a birthday cake, unfortunately I wasn't able to take pictures because we don't have the camera at the moment. Baking for them makes me happy.

A couple of weeks back, my sister Ella and I were planning about my niece's 1st birthday party over the phone. I was once again asked to make cupcakes and of course, I gladly took the job. Then I thought it's about time I explore the colorful world of cake decorating and make a 9 inch Chocolate Cake with Vanilla frosting. I was pretty scared at first but I went on and dominate the frosting.

It was actually not that complicated. You just need the right tools and be focused. Take your time, don't rush. Feel confident that you'll get it done and relax. That's the main thing I learned in the process.

I've been watching cake decorating videos on youtube for years and I can say it really helped me a lot. My wonderful husband also provided me with books of professional cake decorators where I discovered the dos and donts, and which flavor of frosting best matches with  different flavors of cakes. My sister Ella gave me a turntable which is one the must-haves when it come to decorating cakes specially for the round ones. I know the cake isn't perfect, but I am happy that I was able to pipe pearl borders in a cake for the first time. The little black dots were supposed to look like mickey but unfortunately didn't turn out that way but I know I can do better next time.

The cake and cupcake toppers were made by my sister. It was just simply googled, printed then taped in a toothpick and I can say it was real cute though my sister had a hard time cutting them.

I felt good about the result of my hard work, above all the little troubles I went through. I have to say it was a little better looking than I expected. :)